Retro games for iOS – iPhone & iPad – 5 of our favourites. Pt 1

Mobile gaming has come a long way in the past couple of years, and there is nothing better than being able to play some of our favourite Retro classics anywhere we please. Whether it be missing our stop on the Train so that you can beat the boss, taking an extra 15 minutes in the toilet to finish a level or being 20 minutes late for work because you’ve decided now is the time the game NEEDS to be completed!

We at The Games Shed love a touch of Retro mobile gaming and felt we would like to share a small selection of Retro games on your iPhone or iPadwith you, our Gaming buddies.

This is part 1 and we give you the chance to check out 5 of our favourite Retro iOS games below. (Check back soon for first Android 5)

Who remembers this one? A beautiful game made in 1991 – Also known as Out Of This World and released across more than a dozen platforms! An addiction to my Amiga 500 was mainly down to this game.
Another World has attained cult status among critics and sophisticated gamers alike for its cinematic effects in the graphics, sound and cut scenes.

This 1995 cross between Cannon Fodder and Lemmings has crossed so many platforms it is likely you would have had a go at some point. A multiplayer battle was commonplace for many of us, seeing as you could have 4 or more people battling at one time.

Each player controls a team of several worms. During the course of the game, players take turns selecting one of their worms. They then use whatever tools and weapons are available to attack and kill the opponents’ worms, thereby winning the game. Worms may move around the terrain in a variety of ways, normally by walking and jumping but also by using particular tools such as the “Bungee” and “Ninja Rope”, to move to otherwise inaccessible areas.

A fan favourite that has spanned 3 decades so far! Final Fantasy was initially released in Japan in 1987 and has done exceptionally well all over the world! The fan base for this franchise is incredible and has captured the imagination of many.

Although most Final Fantasy instalments are supposedly independent stories with different settings and main characters, they feature identical elements that define the franchise. Recurring elements include plot themes, character names, and game mechanics. Plots center on a group of heroes battling a great evil while exploring the characters’ internal struggles and relationships. Character names are frequently derived from the history, languages, and mythologies of cultures worldwide.

Metal Slug. What can be said. An amazing run and shoot style game that has spanned generations. A gem of a game that you need to experience if you never have! Well worth every penny for this perfect port of the original NEOGEO game.

The gameplay of the Metal Slug series is characteristic of run and gun games: large numbers of enemies and a player character with extremely powerful weapons.

You start the game with only a simple handgun, as the game progresses you get to pick up new weapons. You can only carry and use one weapon at a time, when a new weapon is found it replaces the previous one. Similarly, when ammo runs out, you revert to using the handgun, which has unlimited ammo.

This is in the top ten of our all time favourite Sega Dreamcast games. Crazy Taxi is so much fun to play and has the banging soundtrack to match the excellent gameplay.

The game was first released in arcades in 1999 and was ported to the Dreamcast in 2000. Barrel through traffic packed streets, hurdle off parking garages, and crazy combo your way to crazy money in a wild frantic race to scare up the most fares. In Crazy Taxi, time is money, and only the craziest cabbies come out victorious.

My favourite games on IOS are all played with a joystick – an iCade Core to be precise. Not exactly portable but the best way to play emulated arcade games like Defender on the Midway Arcade app. The Vectrex app is also really faithful to the original 80’s console, and the screen is a very similar size.